1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a device to aerate crops such as hay.
2. Prior Art
Fields of hay or other crops are often cut and then allowed to lay down on its side for drying. Often, the hay is deposited in a series of substantially parallel rows in order to dry prior to harvesting. This is accomplished in a variety of ways such as a windrow attachment to a mower. After drying, the crop will be gathered from the rows or swaths.
The swaths or rows will often dry slower than desired. Additionally, the top of the swath or row may be subject to nutritional loss due to sun bleaching.
The ground under the windrow may become wet because of moisture and the covering by the windrow.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a device that can lift a swath or row from the ground, aerate it and return it back to the ground.
Additionally, there is a need to provide a device that will aerate a swath or row and optionally turn the top of the swath or row onto the bottom.
There is also a need to provide a device that will lift a swath or row, aerate it and return it to a different position on the ground.
Additionally, there is a need to provide an aerator device that will be able to aerate multiple swaths or rows of hay at the same time. While a single, wide device might be employed for multiple rows, these are unwieldy and cannot be transported easily. This is particularly true if the device is required to travel on public highways.
Therefore it is a principal object and purpose of the present invention to provide a device that can lift a swath or row from the ground, aerate it, and return it back to the ground.
It is an additional object and purpose of the present invention to provide a crop aerator to aerate a swath or row and turn over the swath or row so that the top of the hay is on the bottom.
It is an additional object and purpose of the present invention to provide a device to lift a swath or row from the ground, aerate the swath or row and return it to a different position on the ground.
It is a further object and purpose of the present invention to provide an aerator device to aerate multiple swaths or rows at the same time.